Oh that's notopp as if you heard this one before. But that team in Oklahoma City is on a hot streak again and the Celtics.
With both teams winning, I'm so angry.
I am a little bit about it, but hey, look it is what it is. They've been winning six straight.
It's on earth.
I mean, other teams like the Lakers and MAVs are getting healthy. That's one way to look at it, and hopefully with enough time to ramp up again the look. But we're getting into all of that and more with NBA Writer vocal songwriter Player to Loon on today's episode. I'm Miles Gray and I'm Jack O'Brien and this is Miles and Jack got mad, boosty.
Three got it?
Look at the j ok there you go in be driving Spinny k.
Fatter number eight, Gene, that's been secure the Celtics or NBA champions.
Okay, war to Moon NBA right at the Guardian.
A bit of a vocalist musician as they say, for tiny deaths. Uh not? Like who is that one the rapper who is convinced when she's in that Bobby all top thing, she's like a musician. I'm not a MAGICIANI I don't.
Yeah, you're not.
But you are a musician and a fantastic writer talking about, you know, the NBA, but also a fan of one of the best teams, one of the best franchises in history, obviously, the Los Angeles Lakers.
Oh yeah, that's one of your favorites right my house, one of your favorite teams?
Yeah, I get Lakers. I mean I don't really sort of wear my fandom just out there like that. But I guess if you if you had to pressed me and asked me who I'm a fan of, I guess I would say the Lakers probably Yeah, yeah, yeah, streets are sick Suki Hanna, that's right, Jabar, thank you for that one. But anyway, have you been, Thanks for thanks for coming back.
I've been good. I've been.
It's been a crazy year to be covering the NBA in l A. So oh yeah, I've been. I haven't had a dull moment since October.
It's do you hear about the Luca trade?
Yeah?
Isn't that crazy?
That guy is so good good?
You think something's wrong with him? What's wrong with him?
He's wrong with them?
Honestly?
Actually, radio act Yeah, giving off radio.
Your counter next that guy, not Matt Geiger, the basketball.
No, not even his energy in the locker room. He's literally radioactive, like doctor Manhattan.
That's that's why I said it was the first time hearing of this.
You guys just missed my Matt Geiger joke.
I accept it, but he can give you that's radioactivity.
There was science, there was old obscure sixers references.
You know what Geiger counter is Matt Geiger. Yeah, I forgot about Matt Geiger. I mean not not in my era. I don't think.
No, no, no, no, no, no anyway, Sorry, and Claire, thank you for bringing it back down to earth.
That's a reference.
So washed, thank you, thank you for keeping us humble.
And any laugh you do here on this will be pity laughs, pity laughs, only laugh around. So, yeah, you don't want to give people too much hope, right, they might go into comedy, they might start their own podcast or something. How do you feel just generally Lakers heading into the postseason. We're going to get into it a little more detail. But you are a Lakers fan. Are we allowed to say that?
I feel like I try and compartmentalize because you're a compartmentalizer professional. I think I I spend so much time close to this team that like, there's so many human beings that work there, whether it's a player or like a front office person, that I want to see happy because I know them personally. So to that degree, I would say so. But I also, like, I am a journalist, so I try and I try and stay relatively objective.
But do you know the photographers too, Yeah, some of them. Yeah, that's my boy, that's my boy.
The lovely smile.
Anyway, to answer your question, Jack, I think that this is it's not a great time to have kind of lost momentum, which is what it seems like is happening to them right now because obviously like reintegrating Ruiy and Lebron, and they lost several games while Lebron was out. They were down, you know a lot of guys for a while there, and it seems like they're kind of just they've kind of just lost a little bit of momentum,
kind of like getting that back. Obviously, not a super opportune time to have to do that with the playoffs, you know, sort of hovering in the in the not too far distance.
But I'm not like panic button level.
Sure, yet I do. I just you know, as a Sixers fan, I do always remember the year that they went into the playoffs on a winning street, like a nineteen game winning streak, embid like got hurt halfway through it. It was Ben Simmons' rookie year, and it was like Sixers are the hottest team in the NBA. They're going all the way and it didn't mean any thing.
Yeah, there is them, there is.
And I think that, like generally is a good rule of thumb to keep in mind, is like how people are playing heading into the playoffs rarely carries over.
I feel like I would just say, like Dallas last year, I feel like as an example of the opposite, where you know, they had a really rough start to the season and they kind of top fire like the exact right time, and it took them all the way to the NBA Finals. But I do agree with you that it's not it's not necessarily like a death sentence by any means. It's also not like a guarantee of playoff success.
It's just sort of like you want to be playing your best basketball or at least ramping up towards it around now, Like now is the time you would like to start really kind of like rounding into form. And I feel like the Lakers were on that trajectory and then injuries kind of set them back a little bit and they just don't have a ton of time to ramp up for the playoffs.
Sure, but better than happened when they did and not in the playoffs, right, And that's just I think health is very important. I say this thing that nobody else says that health. Staying healthy is a skill. Yeah, I agree with that, And I also think shot making is important. Say that I'm a unique thinker.
Yeah, takes before this is really Yeah.
The thing is your team's got to have the bigger number than the other team at the end.
Yeah, at the end of the game, not in the middle.
At the end, I actually have the defense. If NBA fans come by, I sit on my couch, I close my eyes and they just play game tape for me, and I'm like, shot making, you need to add. Shot making is.
Really kind of bringing back the imposter syndrome that I had early in my career because I just feel like you're just blowing my mind.
I'm trying to bring in some Rick Rubin for the you know, so you can relate as both an MBA writer and a song right, yeah, absolutely? And then just real quick, best Lebron song and why is it?
It's a I.
Think it's the og. It's og is the one that gets stuck in my head the most. And you know what can I tell you guys something? I was going to ask Lebron about the trend on TikTok. They had their last home game though, was like a really depressing blowout against the Bulls, So I'm I pretty much never ask a question in the locker room unless I absolutely need to after a loss, and especially after a bad loss. But my plan had been to ask him if he's heard the songs, what he thinks of them?
Yeah, what's his favorite? What's the one he's listening to on his headphones as he goes?
Yeah, because I'm like almost certain he has, you.
Know, he's a millennial, He's he's online enough seeing them.
On Instagram reels, but not TikTok?
Who do you even thinks? Right?
Right? I don't know which one?
What's that on Lebron Lebron things?
Yeah?
Yeah, the Man in the Mirror. Then there's the new Katy Perry, I glazed Lebron.
I haven't heard that one, did you?
Guys?
Hear the press conference earlier this season where JJ used the word glazing like he was like giving Lebron. He was saying, Lebron has been playing at like a first team all defense level, and he was like, the kids are going to say I'm glazing, right, And I was just like, this is proof that JJ is still very.
Online even though he doesn't post anymore.
Yeah, yeah, he's but also maybe doesn't know what glazing means if he's dropping that, like.
Does it actually act?
Yeah? But the game of the week we were touching on that. You can blame it all on me. We had Okac at the Clippers on Sunday, which was a pretty which is a real close one one O three one or one. Thundertook that one away. Shame.
By the way, this was not the game of the week.
Okay, So it was supposed to be the Clipper.
It was the Grizzlies at Clippers. Jaw was hurt and and so using our powers as broadcasters, we flexed it, yeah and changed it to okay, see it Clippers game. We are flexed it. That is such a such a overly self aggrandizing term for just like changing the schedule because he did a bad job making it in the
first plit weshed. We have to flex on that one change we've been flexed on, which is a shame because they're uh, you know, like it's actually very entertaining to be rooting for them to lose every game.
From this point forward kind of entertainment.
They're in a real dead heat with the Nets. It's it's pretty exciting because so they're now currently have the first fifth worst record in the league. Our pig is top six protected. If they land in seven, it goes back, the pick goes to.
Okay when the time is the funniest thing ever to me, Like fact that the Sixers could have the kind of season that they've had and okay, so you could end up gets their pick.
Yeah, it is.
It is very funny, Claire, And I'm glad you think it's funny too, because I think it's hilarious and sometimes keep myself up laughing all night over it.
So you are, yeah, exactly.
It's so they need to lose everything from here on out, Like they just need to keep losing to protect themselves from from that scenario that indibility. Yes, it's entertaining. I'll tell you what.
Shaden looked great. He was seven of twenty nine from the floor in the game of the week, Game of the Week, Yeah, exactly, and that one. But you know, they were check lists. They still figured, you know, how to play it off. My boy Alex Caruso still had another you know did Okay. I love watching him just just be the young man we always knew him to be.
But yeah, they're twenty eight and seven on the road this season, uh, thirty three and eleven versus Western Conference, twenty six and for in one for is the Eastern Conference. They are fourth in offensive efficiency, first in defensive efficiency, first in steals, fourth in blocks, first in deflections, first and lowis balls recovered.
Yeah, they just play harder than everyone. Yeah, and that's actually that's actually a bad thing because they're not gonna be played harder than everyone in the playoffs and so they're actually screwed. Man.
I Mean, my thing is, like, I don't think there's anything left to learn about them as a regular season team. I think they've proven they're the best team in basketball in the regular season. The thing we're gonna learn is how that translates to the playoffs because we haven't seen it translate yet.
I have no reason to believe that it won't. But like that's the thing is possible.
There's no one sitting here like like, oh yeah, they're not like an incredible, like historically great regular season team, Like I think everyone, even people who doubt them in the playoffs feel that way. But we have seen to your earlier point, like regular season success is not a direct you know, like one for one with postseason success. Like it makes me think of the Phoenix Suns a couple of years ago when they were like the best team in basketball with a bullet all year long.
They were incredible and then they.
Got upset by Dallas, lost at home in game seven, I think it was in the second round.
So you know, that's that's the thing.
That's what I'm keeping my eye on, is like, is this the kind of team that's like susceptible to an upset or not in the playoffs.
But overall, but like you said, you're like, but I you feel that it will translate on some level.
I think this will be fun.
I mean, like, you know, injuries obviously, like injuries are the one sort of X factor of the playoffs that you just can't especially a team that's been playing that hard all year. Like that's the one sort of X factor you can't really account for. But assuming everyone stays healthy, like, I have no reason to believe right now that okayc isn't coming out of the West.
Right, scariest matchup for Okay so ok in the playoffs? Yeah, yeah, that's a great question. Last year, you'll remember they lost to Luka Doncic, I will remember and the Dallas Mavericks. But so and this a lot of people aren't talking about this, but Luka Doncha is no longer on the Dallas Matvericks. I actually got traded to Lakers and so now he plays on the same team as Lebron James. Yeah, the man on the Lakers. Yeah, just asking you to say his name.
I don't think as a team they're the worst. The Lakers are the worst matchup for OKAC. So this is going to sound counterintuitive as a team on paper, I think Okay's actually a bad matchup for the Lakers. However, I think Lebron and Luca are a nightmare matchup for anybody in the playoffs, and I would still pick the Lakers as the most likely other team to come out of the West if it is not Oklahoma City.
O wow, okay, okay, I mean the West is a what like it is so stacked from top tobata, Like, there's just so many good teams right now. So right now as we record, the Thunder first seed, Rocket, second Nuggets, third, Lakers, fourth, Griz, fifth, Warriors are coming on strong. They're sixth. The Clippers are going to be in the play in the Wolves, seven and three over the last ten are going to be in the playing and then you know, down below you get the Kings in the Suns. Not not as scary.
I would say the worst matchup is maybe the Warriors for them actually, like that would be okay, see, yeah, that would be the one that I would be the more concerned about because the Warriors are also pretty deep as far as like you know, perimeter athleticism and defense and all the things that okay see kind of hangs their hat on and then they have they can go star for star with Steph and Shay and then like I mean, I would argue, this is maybe a hot take.
I would argue, like Jimmy Butler over you know, is on par with chet or Jada right now, so that that would be a team that I feel like that would be an interesting series at the very least, I don't know, you.
Know, Jada is the like that I remember, you know, I had, Okay see on like a big like. I bet on them to win title last year in the off season, so I had a big like stood to make some money if they won the title, and so I was really rooting for them against Dallas and the j dub of it was yeah, you.
Know, they keep flos too. Even with that, I mean, it.
Was did, but it was it's not fun to rely on the people on that team who aren't SGA or at least it wasn't last year. They've obviously been much better this year, but it's still like they are amazing. They had they have a lot of but like that number two three score is just like not as reliable as you want it to be.
And I think that's why I'm high on the Lakers as like a potential like second choice to come out of the West, is because I think in the majority of series they end up in, they have two, if not all the series they end up in in the West, they have two of the three best players on the floor in Luca and Lebron, and in some of those series, two of the two best players on the floor, you know,
like the top two. So I think pretty much against everyone except for Shay and then Denver, they arguably probably have the best player on the floor at any given time. So I think that's why I'm higher on them.
Yeah, that makes sense to me. Miles is just giddy over there.
Well let's get into the Lakers, but first let's take a quick break. We'll be right back to discuss the Los Angeles Stakers after this.
How you do that?
And we're back. So the Lakers forty three eight Lakers?
So the Lakers, Okay, how do you do?
I said, how look at you? You guys are so high up in defensive efficiency. How you do this? So right now, the thing that's happening with the fans losers of three straight and seven out of ten, we're just getting Lebron and really back in the starting lineup and other guys in the rotation that have been in and out as well, and that was a huge thing. It's like, well, let's just a little bit if people like really come back and we can we can van, we can really
see how this is all gonna work out. Yeah, and that game against the Bulls was Bubba Sparks, as Bubba Sparks will say, uglay. Yeah, but again I think the way thank you so much. Look, I try and only do things at least at a minimum twenty years old. If not, If not, I don't know what it is. Benefit yes, yes, yes, and he had three x's in his name. I don't know if you remember that detail. But this team, I think again, a lot of people were like, what's happened? What happened to the defense? It
was a mirage? This is I told you it was fake nonsense. Now part of me is saying they are exhausted and there are some sustainability issues here, and maybe that's something we can take a look at before saying this is an absolute disaster. What happened? Sorry, we're gonna be playing the MAVs and the play and like people thinking like, that's how far off it's gonna fall. But yeah, from what we've seen that, the things we saw did
not feel like Flukes. Granted, there obviously there's a little bit of inconsistency right now, but I chalk a lot of that up to fatigue now, Claire, And because of that, I've adjusted a little bit my expectations from being completely out of this world and being like hang up the banner number eight teams going up to a little bit like Okay, I'll be happy if we get to like
the QUSTIONN Conference finals. That'll never be respectable. How how do you see just sort of this recent run of games and put that into context for someone like me who wants to believe more or maybe I'm believing just amount the right amount.
I think you can believe.
I mean, I don't think it should deter your belief that they have, you know, a championship ceiling, but I think it has exposed some real flaws. Like, for example, like you were saying the defense, like obviously their defense was incredible for months. Part of that was just like super high effort and like playing super super hard, and like,
I don't know how sustainable that is. Additionally, like I think teams are maybe starting to game plan a little bit now that they have a sample size of how they are playing defense, and so you're starting to see
that show up. My biggest concern from this sort of losing streak is more so Ruey Hatchmura's health, Like he said in a postgame press conference the other day that he feels like his knee is at about seventy to eighty percent and that he doesn't think it'll be able to like fully recover until the off season when he can rest it, because rest is really the only thing that will like help his I think his tendonitis in
his name. So that's concerning because I think the highest level of Ruy, like Ruey at his one hundred percent was really important to this team and was kind of fundamental to a lot of what was working.
So that's like my biggest concern.
Lebron just looks like someone who's missed a couple of weeks, Like I think he'll ramp up. I think the team is just reintegrating a couple guys that missed a lot of time, and that's going to take time. I think they have tended to play down to worse teams, which is like they're losing to sub five hundred teams. I think that's been kind of characteristic of this team over
the last few years. I still think they have a really high ceiling, especially because I don't think they've even hit their offensive ceiling with Luca and Lebron yet.
In Austin, of course.
But I do think that you're seeing some flaws exposed, and you know, I would also point out, like this roster was not constructed with Luca Dontet in mind. It was constructed with Anthony Davis in mind, and they haven't had an off season to really address that. So I think anything beyond you know, like the second round would be probably like some level of overachieving, like whether it's the conference finals, finals, championship, based on the sort of
like haphazardness of the roster right now. But I still think they you know, I would be I would not be surprised at all if they made the conference finals, and I do think they have a shot at making the finals.
Yeah, I mean, I think just talking about the Mavericks, I think like, in context, we weren't nest necessarily like being like, yeah, we need to build a team around Luka Doncic like it happened, whereas the maps are like we need Anthony Davis and that's what we're needing. And I think just the fact that we kind of that not as if we stumbled upon this, but the way
it came together. Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm like, I'm like, you know what, No, Like, I think, just in a more practical sense, there would need to be just a little bit more time for the roster to kind of actually form, like hardened in a way that it's coming together with the right team and like James Harden, like James exactly take a step back.
I mean, so maybe we should be talking about the Mavericks then, because they seem to be the ones who were intending to build this roster. They're doing exactly what they wanted to. So let's see where. Oh sorry, no, we won't to actually talk about them.
Yeah, welcome back eighty though. I think it's commendable.
Yeah yeah. My dumb basketball brain is just like, well I didn't think it was the Mavericks heading into last year's playoffs, and Luka Doncicic was good enough that he was able to just like drag them there, and now he has Lebron James on and now he has Lebron James on his team, so maybe again, maybe he do that again.
Maybe again.
I picked them as my dark horse to come out of the West last year in our like Guardian pre playoffs predictions and they were a five or six seed.
I think so. I feel that's like one of my best hot takes ever.
I did not have that. I did not have that on my all. We gotta go. We got to go into this next segment, which is where we ask you to tell us if somebody is a contender or pretender. And before before we even get to the teams that we had, who is your your dark horse for the two divisions? Who you got coming out of the East.
If it's not like one of those teams, if there is another situation like last year where I don't think anybody had the MAVs coming out other than you, other than me, who would you say, could maybe we don't even do this because I do think it's going to be it's gonna be one of those yeah sells to the Cavs. But who out of the West could you see be in the dark horse?
Would you say, like, so, should we put aside the Lakers now since you already.
Know that that's one of them, we are, Yeah, we are putting inside the Lakers. I think the consensus seems to be even if they're not, they don't end up as the top two seed that they it's like them or the Thunder, possibly because the Lakers just get so much coverage in the national media. But I do feel like they're not sneaking up on.
Anybody, right, I would say I would go the Warriors.
I think they are an example of a team that's kind of getting hot at the right time. I think the Jimmy Butler trade just really really like reinvigorated Stephan Draymond. I'm a huge Jimmy Butler apologist believer, Like I've never sold my Jimmy Butler stock at any of these stops. I think he's the kind of guy where it's like, if you pay him, he's fine, Like he's not going to cause problems. He just wants to get paid for
his services. So I think he's paid, he's happy. He still hasn't want a championship, but he would love to.
So I think Madonna to be.
Paid, I know, right.
I feel like the narrative is just like, oh, he's such a curmudget in every stop. It's like he does great everywhere he is until the front office doesn't want to pay him, you know, the whatever the max is that he can get paid, and then he causes issues until they send him somewhere where he can get that money.
So I don't know, I feel like.
You know, in this economy, yeah, relatable, but you know you're worth honey. He's also one of like the biggest like playoff risers that we've seen in the last decade. Like he's someone who absolutely elevates his game to the moment, and Steph is the same. So I think I would definitely not count out the Warriors. I think they're deep, I think they have good defense. I think they have they could have the best player on the floor and a given night.
So yeah, has.
There ever been anybody as who it was as consistent about just like beating a whole step better in the playoffs, Like not like somebody who always comes up in the clutch in the playoffs, but like somebody who just was like yeah and then yeah, and then I take it like to another notch, and I play like a first team All NBA player even though I'm not even in that conversation in the regular season.
That's a great question because I feel like all the people you think of who your like incredible playoff performers are also like top ten, top fifteen players in the regular season.
Yeah, exactly.
I don't know he might be.
I mean they call him playoff Jimmy, like if he has a whole separate name for how he is in the playoffs.
So yeah, it's him and I guess you know Paul George playoff p the two people with playoff nicknames. Then yeah, that's why I like hopes for the sixers.
Just like looking at listicles from certain like you know, basketball outlets and things talking about like the top playoff performers, and you're just describing like the top five like they're just all time players.
Michael Jordan was really good in the playoffs.
Or Jordan number two Lebron Ron James pre sh Okay.
I will say it to like not to be like a super Lebron Homer, but I will say with Lebron, like he's obviously incredible in the regular season as well, but he is someone who I would say his play gets better and better and better and better, like almost to like a mathematical degree as he ramps up for the playoffs, generally speaking, like barring injury, Like I think he's he's not like a he's like a marathon not a sprint kind of guy, right, you know, what I mean.
So that's not the same as Jimmy, but he's almost always better in the playoffs than he was in the regular season, regardless of how good he was.
And even if it's a little quiet, it feels like he's doing that thing where he's like he's merely taking a deep breath before exerting himself. And that's what you see when things begin to seemingly be like less than optimal. But yeah, so what contender, pretender or chicken tender? Shall we do it?
Yeah?
Wait, what is chicken? Can you define?
I just wanted to add that. Should we have a third category?
Yeah? Like fun delicious, little Chris, fun delicious.
But not trying to be anything other than what.
They not a full chicken meal, just a chicken tender.
Or a contender for the NBA Finals.
So contender, pretender, they're just pretending to be good and there is malice in their soul. They're trying to trick people. Chicken tender, they're fun, we liked them, they're just not Yeah. Yeah, they're just a more of a one night thing. They're not. Yeah, they're for dipping, not not for a full full meal. The calves contender, pretender, Chicken Contender, Okay, and you're not You're not scared off by the It was so they had a four game losing streak.
I think that's okay. I'm not worried about that.
It was weird, like everybody they played it was almost like they're winning was a communicable disease, where like everybody they played started playing out of their minds and then like they like the Suns was the last one the Sons beat them, and now the Sons have been like playing really well for the first time. It's tough, but now the Suns have been good ever since. But I think, yeah, yeah, they're like, what was that movie good Luck Chuck? Yeah?
Great?
The worst movie is a.
Great but the premise was this is the guy who you sleep with and then you meet your partner for life, Like they this is the team on this road swing, this is the the Cavs are the team you played and suddenly like figured your team out.
And I just feel like they've been playing really really well, really consistently, like like scary consistently. They how many losses do they have on the season, Like they've just been playing out of their minds from since October. I think it's natural to they have the number one seed locked up with a bullet fourteen losses, fourteen losses total, they have the number one seed.
It's not even close.
No one's going to come close to like taking that number one seed from them, not even Boston. So it's kind of natural, I think, to have like a little bit of a leutdown when you're like, okay, let's just get to the playoffs, Like, we have the number one seed locked up. So I'm not concerned they're a contender, all right.
There they are four and a half games up on the on the Celtics, so it would be tough for the Celtics to catch them up.
Next who we got mouse Clippers contender pretender, chicken tender pretender.
Wow, you think there is malice malice.
And their so I think I just hear people talking about them like, oh, don't forget about the Clippers and playing really well, and it's like, I think we've earned the right to forget about the Clippers at this point. I think that there's been enough years of evidence for me to not like hitch my wagon to Kawhi Leonard and James Harden in the playoffs and they look awesome. They're so fun, they're playing great that not signing Paul George thing is looking incredible.
It's aging like a.
Fine Okay, I had that trade Eternal Sunshine of this outless minded, out of my brain, so actually understandable.
But yeah, so I just don't think like I think they're they're a contender to upset someone in the first round, but I don't think they're a contender. Contender they can't win for playoff rounds. I would be bowled over.
Like right now. They would go against Houston. That could be an interesting serially, Yeah, all right, last one Nuggets. I mean, this one's kind of putting this on a platter for you. They're named after one of these things.
Yeah, I'm just kidding. I want to say, chick contenders so bad, it's just commedically right.
Yeah, yeah, I know.
Here's a hot take. I think they're a pretender.
Whoa, yeah, yeah you stink. It's everything that.
Is amazing, and if you had like even one more helpful player, I would probably put them in the contender tier. This is like, I think I'm on an island with this take. I think pretty much everyone I know has them as a contender. They are not that good this year. They beat up on bad teams. They have a losing record against teams above five hundred. Obviously, like Jamal Murray's another sort of playoff risories, someone who does a lot better in the playoffs than in the regular season historically.
But I just don't think they have enough in their supporting cast this year. And like you don't need you know, obviously, rotations shorten in the playoffs. You don't need to have a ton of depth, but you need to have someone besides Jokich, you know what I mean?
You can't play one on five. Their defense is atrocious. It's been bad all season.
I think they're like twenty something ranked in defense and like as good as their offenses. I just don't think you can win four playoff rounds with like a bottom of the league defense.
So they're a pretender to me.
Incredible incredible hot takes. You heard it here first, It's gonna be what they bring me for HOA Lakers Warriors Western Conference Finals. I think, I like how we just eliminate everybody else? Is that here?
I said for sure?
Like was my number one choice to come out of the West Losers, Like you heard it.
Here first CLA.
And we didn't put the Celtics in there, so we also think they stink and have no chance chicken tender, Chicken tender, chicken contender. Actually, they would be pretenders. They have malice in their hearts.
They're they're not fun, They're just Slytherin contenders.
You know, they are slytherin right, like everybody.
Like the Celtics organization has slytherin energy and I.
Should fight me and the same color scheme too, you know what I mean?
Is that a coincidence? There are no coincidences.
There are none. There aren't.
In the hypothetical off season for this show, we should just go through and group every NBA team by Harry Potter House.
And wait, so who's in Slytherin? How many of the Celtics would you put in Slytherin?
Like, oh, I haven't done individual players.
You just do teams.
That would be a lot of work.
Celtics.
It wasn't to do the team.
But Celtics were Slytherin.
Yeah for sure.
It was a year too.
It was like I was like thinking of like I didn't do every single team, but I was like, oh, this team from this year is definitely a Slytherin this team, like for example, the Calves in twenty sixteen Gryffindor vibe such Griffin. Even the color scheme, the spur like the Tim Duncan Spurs. Slytherin vibes to me personally interesting.
Okay, I thought they were like more harmless dumb dumbs, but like not not.
And I feel like the Nuggets, but you have the championship Nuggets had hufflepuff.
Energy huffle puff That's what I was thinking. Yeah, who's Raven Claw?
I know, right, Memphis.
I don't think it's like super cerebral, like who plays like I guess Golden State. It's like super like high level cerebral brand of basketball.
But trying to do this game having only read like one of the books.
I haven't read them since I was a child, but I'm very familiar.
It's like the this is like the vibes.
This is like street Man astrology. I feel like how Harry Potter House is.
Yeah, exactly so.
And I'm a big astrology person, so I kind of know every.
Susan Miller yep.
And then rename all the uh, all the players as JK. Rowling would name them. Oh, actually, we're out of time. That would be too offensive. Let's take a quick break. We'll be right back, and we're back.
Maybe we're back.
Any kind of fool could see. Damn I sang that so well. We have to worry about, uh, you know, this episode being taken down.
The sound sweeper, catching that with soundsweeper. It was the real thing. Nah, just worry about the street sweepers. Fam guess what Claire to loon is a fourth quarter rapid fire round of questioning. We love having you on the show, and you are pretty good at being you know, band banded string with us. But I just wanted you to know that in this in this, in this segment, we will be rude, will be very rude if you take too long. We're about speed right now. Okay, yep, you
already know. It's the fastest question answered segment in all podcasting history. We asked you a question, you just fire the answer right back. Are you ready?
I think so?
Why?
Oh my god, he's so angry. I can't oh this time?
All right, Jack, who's going first? You go first?
I didn't go first. That's okay with you? Go ahead, go ahead, So Claire, yes, Doc Rivers recently said he doesn't get enough credit for winning three games in playoff series where he blew three one leads. Uh, no one tells a real story, And I'm fine with that. It's unfair in some ways. I don't get enough credit for getting the three wins. I get credit for losing. I always say, what if we had lost to Houston six?
Apparently he always says that no one cares. Anyways, you want more credit for the three wins he won in the series where he blew a through on lead. Just reminder, he's blown three three to one leads in the course of his career in the playoffs. There are thirteen total in the history of the league. He's got three of them. Three hundred and fifty coaches who've coached in the playoffs. He's blown five three to two leads, one two oh lead. But he's never been swept. Baby, what's another skill that
you think we're underappreciating in the NBA? In the same way, I had to jam this in there somewhere. I was so impressed. I was so impressed by his ability to, uh, you know, find a skill like what about the three wins? That?
And I'll open my next question with a Darvin Ham quote.
So you'll forget the question, what's another underappreciated skill that isn't actually a skill that we should appreciate.
More grabbing the camera, uh, and then showing it to the RAF to show them that Lebron James Scott fouled end of Lake Salt. It's only happened one time in history, but it was an incredible skill.
Screamed, I thought to grab the camera.
Yeah, let me get that.
Let me It was just so weird to see Pat Bev holding a camera.
He's clearly never held the camera.
Definitely has not hold held the camera because my father's a photographer. If I grabbed the camera by the lens like that, he would have lifted me to the sky and I would have floated away. But yeah, Pat Bev loved that gesture. Love that gesture.
Just creative, a creative way to show the refs that they messed up.
Next question, Claire Darvin Ham once said, and here's my question, who's the more dominant player Luca and Kobe's era or Kobe in today's era.
I'm so sorry, it's really hard to be fasten. You guys are being so funny. No, no, no, Kobe in this era like Kobe in this era. Yeah, I think.
And that's with that game that he had then, or is it just knowing that he would add wrinkles to his game to make him no idea.
I think to make it fair.
It's like you just oh take them as this.
I was gonna say, like, Kobe is such a psycho competitor. I just feel like he's the kind of person he would like figure it out.
Yeah, exactly. I don't know.
I think they both have skill sets that translate very well to both eras. Is that a political cop out answer?
M hmm, yeah, I guess that's fine.
We'll take it. We'll take it Luca.
They'd be like, this guy's a gimmick. He shoots so many threes.
Actually maybe okay, wait, I'm changing my answer to it. Would be Luca because he's just like a sort of pudgy looking Balkan dude and that had never had success in the NBA before.
So they would definitely be like, I got the white guy. Yeah, I got the guy from like.
Slvigia or whatever, seven r Vitas Sabonus. Yeah, I think I'll check him.
Yeah, he's gonna be asked.
All right, you can pick any former Lakers legend to make a run with this current team.
Who you got, Oh, I'm gonna go Shack because I think he has the skill set that they need the most on this.
Storm missing We're missing a center. We're missing, missing the center. Yeah, right right exactly.
Can you imagine Lebron Luca Shack starting lineup?
Are you joking?
Yeah, I'm about to fire up two k right now, make that happen.
Actually, I would go Shack over Cream just because I think with with who they're going to have to play, yeah, to get to the finals, I think the imposing physicalness of Shack is more the skill set that they're lacking.
Yep, yep, yep. Here's a bit of Lakers trivia, Claire. We know Magic is the all time triple doubles leader. Now, how many can you give us after Magic on the Lakers, most triple doubles, most.
Triple doubles on the Lakers. Yes, Lebron's got to be up there.
Yeah, number two forty nine?
Uh is Russ Russell Westbrook?
No, no, no, in.
A Lakers universe. Yeah, okay, So it has to be someone with a long tenure that's a good question.
They're a Jerseys, they're all hanging up.
They're all hanging up. Oh okay, it's magic and then.
Lebron magic Lebron.
I'm like, Kobe doesn't pass.
Like he actually is he up there?
He did twenty one games, because.
Number four it would have been, yeah, okay, you got.
One, two, four, you're missing three and five.
Can I have a hint?
Old you were not alive and we were not alive? Jerry, Well, that's number five, number five with a lit and one more. You got to think of old just an old school legend, old school legend.
She is legitimable for this, Uh, helps keep.
I'm not gonna bailor you out.
I was gonna say Taylor, but I was like, you got it, good job.
Oh that's incredible.
Yeah that was cheating.
But I say I was gonna say Elgin, but then you guys, you know I was second guessing myself.
Look, I don't want to respect any Laker legends.
We don't mean to do that. That was shocked.
That's what we's on that list. Can I just say I.
Know I was, I'm like, those are yeah, those were just double.
Doubles all day, sure, all time, defensive wind shares leader. This this was interesting to me, Like what, I'm not expecting you to get it, but all time defensive wind shares leader. It's like a on the Lakers.
Yeah, okay, defensive wind Can you define defensive wind share?
Like? What is your overall defensive impact according to like, say, you.
Know the number of names a player contributed through their defensive play?
That's right?
Is it?
Is it a D? No, it's not.
You're in the neighborhood though, is wait really like the right era? No, oh, I'll do that. Just say what you will.
Yes, how the not according to a D? But yes, is it? Kareem is Kareem? Yay? That's why the only reason I was like, maybe Kareem overshack is Kareem all time defensive wind shares leader. I mean, I guess that's maybe at a time when everybody shot, like when everybody drove into the paint and then did a set shot from their chest.
So it was like you here, I know, I'm like Kareem playing defense right now in the twenty twenty five NBA playoffs might look a little different, but.
Yeah, it would look a little while. And last question, you are a musical talent. You appreciate music, So let's do a bit of a music question and a little bit of fantasy world building. You can create your own updated Up and Smoke Tour to another timely reference using artists of today. Give us your lineup for the Up and Smoke Tour?
Who was on the original Up and Smoke Tour?
It was like a rap show. It was like Redman and Method Man. I think Cypress Hill was on it.
You know, I'm an agent of chaos. So let's go Kendrick Lamar and Drake Wow. Yes, Like it's like the Marie Condo, like meme, I Love Mess.
Yeah yeah, fantastic, Yeah, oh yeah. The real lineup Snoop, dre ice Cube, eminem, members.
Of D twelve Throat.
Mm hmmm, yes there it is. Well that was actually every single right answer.
You nailed it so much.
You've done, You've done, no hints, no hint, swish from way from the logo.
Exactly where do the people find you? Follow you, support you, listen to you all of that stuff.
They can follow me across all social media at Clear m pls and they can read my work over at The Guardian.
Fantastic you can find us obviously at Miles of Gray on Twitter, at Miles Miles of Great Social on.
B Sky, not Matt Jack Underscore O Brian on Twitter and at Jack ob the number one on Blue Sky.
Mm hmm. Also follow the hashtag mad Boosties beat a low sd I e s show links and updates and be like hard they do that? Well, you join the discord and you find out and you can also find that invite on the hashtag search for mad Boosties. That is going to do it for us.
Oh, did we pick a game of the week? No game of the week, game.
Of the week? Yeah, yes, yes, yes you.
Friday nextep Bucks Saturday, Lakers at Chris Sunday, Clippers at Calves? Who you got?
Who we watch?
I feel like Nick Bucks will be interesting, like little maybe playoff preview situation.
I don't know, it'd be cool.
Let's go with that, all right?
Mix and Bucks?
You got me?
They're both like the Knicks without Jalen Brunson and just the Bucks in general, or like they could lose any game, but I'm gonna.
Get let's go day.
Well, there's your homework, y'all, Knicks that bus on Friday, do your homework so you don't mess up in class when we see you next time.
And players on the Knicks and Bucks don't make us flex you out all right. We don't have to do it again, but I will.
We will do it to you, all right, y'all, Bye, my wife,